The Way of the Warrior
by LanteanBreeze
Summary: For Teyla, sometimes the fight isn't only on the battlefield.


**The Way of the Warrior**

**(Just having fun, no infringement intended.)  
**

The light trickles through the opening of her tent as she prepares to leave the Athosian camp. It is a new day, and new threats loom near. She picks up her pack and swings it over her shoulder as she steps out of the tent in full Atlantis gear. She sees her happy son being held in his father's arms as he speaks with some of the elders. A delicious smell wafts forward as an old woman stirs a sort of breakfast porridge that is simmering over a large fire. Teyla smiles and continues onward for a final goodbye, but then thinks better of it. Torren is yet very young, and he still cries when she leaves. It would be better if she slipped away quietly. Kanaan will understand.

They do not know of the mission; they just know she has to go. _It is better this way_, she tells herself. Besides, she can't give them any details anyhow. As an official member of the expedition and John Sheppard's team, she is sworn to secrecy aside from a few exceptions. This is no exception.

She slinks through the thick growth of shrubbery leading up to the trees of the forest with a velvety quiet. As she steps out beneath the tall trees that shade her from the sun, a hard rustling sound scampers near her. She drops and pulls her gun in anticipation of an enemy only to see a small rodent pass by from beneath the shrubs. She stands up slowly and takes a deep breath, putting her gun back in its holster. _I have spent too much time away_, she thinks to herself. There was a time when she was so in tune with the nature surrounding her, that she knew the sound of everything, immediately. Now, sometimes it takes a few seconds. And in the wilderness, much like battle, seconds can be precious.

She brushes her doubts aside and keeps going. Soon, she sees him standing there, leaning against the side of the jumper, a wry smile spreading across his face.

"It's about time. Took you long enough."

She smiles. "I am not late."

"Yeah, well, another minute or two and you woulda been."

He smiles back at her, and this time his smile is genuine. "You ready?"

"Yes, of course."

John follows her into the puddle jumper as she takes a seat beside Ronon, mutually nodding to him in acknowledgement. "Hi, Teyla," says McKay as he waves a hand over his head. John settles in next to him and closes the hatch as they all lift from the grounds of the forest on New Athos. "Hello, Rodney." He immediately starts laying into Sheppard over attempting this mission so soon after the last one ended so badly, apparently picking up where they'd left off before she arrived. She enjoys not having to sit in silence. It distracts her mind from its real thoughts.

"Hey," says Ronon. "You alright?"

"Yes, I am fine."

"How's Torren?"

He realizes as soon as he says it that this was the wrong question to ask this morning. He looks down at the floor as she steels herself up and blocks out as much emotion as she can. She knows that as soon as they reach that Hive ship, she'll be fine, but right now…

"He is… Amazing. Growing. Beautiful."

She grabs Ronon's hand for support, something he knows she would not do if they were not such good friends. He turns to her and looks her directly in her almost tear-filled eyes.

"Just remember that you're not just doing this for the safety of the galaxy. You're doing this for him."

He squeezes her hand.

"I know," she says. "Thank you."

They spend the rest of the ride in silence, holding hands, as the argument between Rodney and John dies down. "Alright, this is it," says John as she feels the soft thud of the puddle jumper hitting solid ground. "Everybody get out and standby for pick-up."

They had commandeered a Wraith dart during their last mission and parked it on a planet nearby the Hive's last location. As she steps out of the jumper, she sees that Lorne and a team of soldiers have been keeping guard over the dart. In their last battle with the Wraith, they learned that darts and cruisers from this particular Hive had stormed one of Michael's old research facilities, and they may have gotten hold of information on how to clone humans in the way that he cloned Carson. This would give them access to all of their victim's memories, even if only through torture after cloning, and allow them to have complete control over them.

She remembered when she was Michael's prisoner and Kanaan, a kind of prisoner too, had wanted to help her escape, but he couldn't. She thought of the glazed look that took over his eyes as soon as he began to set her free. She knows that the Wraith can't have that kind of power, especially when they could kidnap and swap out key members of the expedition, making them do their bidding. The dart rises before her in the distance and zooms near. She silently welcomes it. She has her strength and her motivation. She is ready for whatever dangers may come.

She has a son she wants to think about, and a partner that waits for her return. But it is the way of the warrior to put these things behind, to clear the mind so she can be fresh for battle, to survive to fight another day.

**A/N: For now this story is finished, but it could lead to more stories to come, starting with what happens when they reach the Hive ship. Thanks to anyone reading. Any feedback will be welcome. :)**


End file.
